OK, I may have something to contribute to science again (don’t ask about the first time, I’m still trying to figure out how to make money off of it).
Also, I distinctly recall seeing threads about the origin of the term “Boondocks,” but search here and in the SD Archives doesn’t turn up anything. I hope I haven’t been imagining it.
So, here we go: I’ve often heard people wondering where, if anywhere, the “Boondocks” are.
And, I think I’ve found them.
While reading Cryptonomicon, a Japanese commander tells Goto Dengo that their Phillipine “base” they are at is called “Bundock.” Being a savvy guy whose lived off the land for awhile knows that “Bundock” is actually a Tagalog word that means roughly “huge freakin’ area where there really isn’t anything.”*
I offer this up as a potential origin of the phrase. Can anyone confirm or deny?
- Unfortunately, this is paraphrased. I read nearly 400 pages of this book today (250 at the last sitting) and it’s really all melted together. The reference in question is around page 750-800 in the paperback (I want to say 770s) and I’m obviously paraphrasing. If need be, tomorrow I’ll go back and find the exact line.